Psychotherapy and psychosomatics
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 2021
Meta AnalysisWhat We Have Learned from Two Decades of Epidemics and Pandemics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Psychological Burden of Frontline Healthcare Workers.
In light of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and potential future infectious disease outbreaks, a comprehensive understanding of the negative effects of epidemics and pandemics on healthcare workers' mental health could inform appropriate support interventions. Thus, we aimed to synthesize and quantify the psychological and psychosomatic symptoms among frontline medical staff. We searched four databases up to March 19, 2020 and additional literature, with daily search alerts set up until October 26, 2020. ⋯ Frontline staff showed a wide range of symptoms, including concern about transmitting the virus to the family (60.39%, 95% CI 42.53-76.96), perceived stress (56.77%, 95% CI 34.21-77.95), concerns about own health (45.97%, 95% CI 31.08-61.23), sleeping difficulties (39.88%, 95% CI 27.70-52.72), burnout (31.81%, 95% CI 13.32-53.89), symptoms of depression (25.72%, 95% CI 18.34-33.86), symptoms of anxiety (25.36%, 95% CI 17.90-33.64), symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (24.51%, 95% CI 18.16-31.46), mental health issues (23.11%, 95% CI 15.98-31.10), and symptoms of somatization (14.68%, 95% CI 10.67-19.18). We found consistent evidence for the pervasive and profound impact of large-scale outbreaks on the mental health of frontline healthcare workers. As the CO-VID-19 crisis continues to unfold, guaranteeing easy access to support structures for the entire healthcare workforce is vitally important.
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 2010
ReviewFunctional abdominal pain in childhood: from etiology to maladaptation.
To review the extant literature on functional abdominal pain in childhood through the lens of the developmental psychopathology perspective and to systematize research results by means of a two-stage pathway model in which the emergence of functional abdominal pain and its potential transition into a somatoform adjustment disorder is outlined. ⋯ It seems that those children with functional abdominal pain who cannot adapt to the pain indeed run the risk of developing a somatoform adjustment disorder.
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 2009
ReviewThe decline of pharmaceutical psychiatry and the increasing role of psychological medicine.
The increasing influence of the pharmaceutical industry on psychiatric research and practice is leading to an intellectual and clinical crisis. A narrow concept of science attempts to apply oversimplified neurobiological models to the understanding and treatment of mental disorders, and relegates psychiatrists to a marginal role. This paper reviews some emerging trends of renewal that may be subsumed under the rubric of psychological medicine: use of a multidisciplinary approach, emphasis on psychotherapeutic strategies leading to self-management, reliance on repeated assessments, integration of different treatment modalities and independence from the pharmaceutical industry. The concept of psychological medicine, defined as the clinical application of the psychosomatic approach, may provide room for innovative paths in psychiatric research and treatment.
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 2009
ReviewThe selection and design of control conditions for randomized controlled trials of psychological interventions.
The randomized controlled trial (RCT) provides critical support for evidence-based practice using psychological interventions. The control condition is the principal method of removing the influence of unwanted variables in RCTs. There is little agreement or consistency in the design and construction of control conditions. ⋯ The strengths and weaknesses of several categories of control conditions are examined, including the ones that are under experimental control, the ones that are under the control of clinical service providers, and no-treatment controls. Considerations in the selection of control conditions are discussed and several recommendations are proposed. The aim of this paper is to begin to define principles by which control conditions can be selected or developed in a manner that can assist both investigators and grant reviewers.
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Psychother Psychosom · Jan 2008
ReviewSystematic review of the effects of shared decision-making on patient satisfaction, treatment adherence and health status.
In the last decade, the clinician-patient relationship has become more of a partnership. There is growing interest in shared decision-making (SDM) in which the clinician and patient go through all phases of the decision-making process together, share treatment preferences, and reach an agreement on treatment choice. The purpose of this review is to determine the extent, quality, and consistency of the evidence about the effectiveness of SDM. ⋯ Despite the considerable interest in applying SDM clinically, little research regarding its effectiveness has been done to date. It has been argued that SDM is particularly suitable for long-term decisions, especially in the context of a chronic illness, and when the intervention contains more than one session. Our results show that under such circumstances, SDM can be an effective method of reaching a treatment agreement. Evidence for the effectiveness of SDM in the context of other types of decisions, or in general, is still inconclusive. Future studies of SDM should probably focus on long-term decisions.